5 Ways to Help Your Students Deal With Test Stress

By

Chrisanne Grise

Students are already dealing with enormous amounts of stress every day, so it's no surprise that throwing in final exams and standardized tests can make even the calmest teens freak out. But don't panic! We've got your back. These five activities will help you prep your students now--so that when test day comes, they'll already have a handle on their emotions.

1. Project our Stress Busters slideshow on the whiteboard so your students can try out a handful of fantastic stress-relief techniques--including stretching and abdominal breathing--in class. Once they've developed those skills, encourage them to keep practicing all throughout test season.

2.Break your students up into groups to create videos about their own unique stress busting techniques, whether it be singing in the shower or walking the dog. (Psst. We've got instructions and a handout from our genius teacher-adviser, Amy Lauren Smith, to make this lesson plan a breeze.) Share the videos in class afterward, so everyone walks away with plenty of new ideas for keeping calm.

3.Read this article to ensure that you stay sane during testing. Self-care is important too!

4. Print out our free poster about stress management and hang it in your classroom. When the work gets tough, this useful quote will remind teens that a meltdown is not the answer.